“I am a third year Business and Law student and absolutely loving my time here at UCD. While the beginning was a bit overwhelming – I am from a tiny village in West Cork, so the adjustment to life in Dublin was a bit of a culture shock – I found that, at UCD, I really quickly found my people. My first year was a mix of online and in-person learning which was challenging, so once we fully returned to campus, it became so much easier to meet people in my course and get a really great group of friends. 

In first year, my course was very big, and we were often mixed in with students from other courses in lecture halls with three or four hundred students. I found it very hard to make friends as you would sit beside someone in one lecture, and then struggle to find them ever again! Because of this, I really threw myself into societies in UCD, as I found it a much easier environment to meet people and immerse myself into UCD life. I joined many societies, like the Food Soc and Law Soc, but where I really feel I fit in is the French Soc. It was amazing to meet people from all different backgrounds and courses, but with the same love for French culture and language. As I do not get to do electives in my course, it’s been great to practise my French and keep up my confidence in it. 

I owe so much to the societies in UCD, I feel like, because of the friends I have made, I have really developed as a person. I was a very anxious person when I first came to college; I was five hours away from home and did not know anyone. I think joining in, pushing myself out of my comfort zone, and immersing myself into the social side of UCD has really grown my confidence. In first year, I was also very grateful for the free food offered at some Society events, as it helped me to save some much-needed money on groceries.

This year is definitely the toughest year of my degree so far, I have decided to go down the Barrister route so I have picked my modules to reflect this. I have a lot of assignments and readings but I am trying to embrace the challenges as they come. I have a mild bilateral hearing impairment, and the supports available at UCD have been transformative for my experience. I only went for a Needs Assessment in second year, as in first year, I was still adjusting to life in Dublin and found it difficult to ask for help. Now, I am much more involved with the Access Centre and the community there, and I have all my tailored supports for me, which is incredible. 

Moving to Dublin from West Cork was extremely challenging. I have been financially independent from my parents since I was eighteen, so when I moved up here, I had maybe €2,000 in my bank account and I was living with a family member. The house was extremely dilapidated, with mould and dirt everywhere, but it was all I could afford. I used to come to college smelling of mould, which was very embarrassing and took a toll on my mental health. 

When I heard about this scholarship, I had to talk myself into applying. At first, I felt I did not deserve the support, but looking at my situation, I knew I had to apply. When I found out I would receive a scholarship, I felt relieved almost immediately. Before the first instalment arrived in my account, my savings were gone. I was eating poorly as I could not afford fresh fruit and vegetables, and my living situation was very uncomfortable to say the least. 

With the first instalment, I went out to buy apples and raspberries. While this might seem small, having the freedom to spend that €2 on my favourite fruit felt monumental to me. Before the money came in, I was budgeting strictly on groceries, spending around €15-20 a week. With this support, I was able to up that to €50! I was also able to move out of that house in second year, and am now somewhere much nicer, with a lovely landlord who charges me well below market rate for rent. I also put the money towards textbooks, which are a necessity when studying Law. I plan to take the Kings’ Inns, so I will need to be able to read certain books over and over again, so borrowing them from the Library just is not always an option. 

I also used the money to buy myself a nice matching suit in Penney’s for my interview for my internship last year. It was crazy how much having something nice and put-together to wear helped my confidence going into the interview. 

This support has also allowed me to be a lot more social, and immerse myself into college life. It means that I am able to go out for coffee with friends between lectures, and to the Clubhouse for dinner with the French Society the odd time. I was anxious that I would always have to turn down invitations, simply because I could not afford to take part, but, due to the support this scholarship has given me, I now have the option to join in and feel included. 

To any alumni who are thinking of supporting a scholarship, all I can say is thank you for even considering it. I cannot wait to be in a position to support a worthy cause like this. Before I received this scholarship, I was living well below the poverty line and there are thousands of students who are just like me, who deserve the same support that I am lucky enough to be receiving. They just want to be able to live in a room that does not have mould in it, they just want to be able to afford raspberries. By supporting these scholarships, you are putting these students on an equal playing field with their peers who might live at home, or who have their parents supporting them. I am so grateful to the alumni who are supporting me and I really hope that this support can be available to others just like me.”